As you know, being a member of the Patronopolis is not just about supporting me and my work. It’s also about tapping into your creativity. To that end, I present to you (drum roll please….)

Patronopolis Challenge #1: Superhero Showcase

What artistic superpower would you like to have? What creative forces lie waiting inside you? What aesthetic feats of greatness could you accomplish if only you had a cape, a talisman, and a suit of spandex?

Show us! Dress yourself up. Give yourself a name and an adjective-laden description (the Amazing Esmeralda, Saving the World with Scintillating Sculpture). Take a picture of yourself. E-mail me the results. I’ll post your pictures and taglines on my blog, and everyone who participates gets a free ice cream cone!

Helpful hints: Feel free to create a backstory for yourself (kryptonite, spider bite, etc.). Add some props that help you gather your special powers (paintbrush, rosin, chef’s hat). If you’d like, invent and describe a villain who opposes your quest to add truth and beauty to the world. Sometimes imagining who or what is thwarting our creative genius can help us define more precisely what that genius is.

Reasons to participate:

1) Silliness is good for the soul.

2) Free ice cream! (From Big Dipper for Missoula-area folks, or the ice cream shop of your choice if you live elsewhere.)

3) Maybe this exercise in ridiculousness will inspire you to don that cape and tap into those creative superpowers inside you more often.